Episode 1: Detente
by Castle Season 9
Summary: In the season 8 finale, Richard Castle and Kate Beckett solved the most harrowing case of their careers only to be gunned down by a man supposedly dead. Did Caleb Brown survive? Was he acting alone, or was he sent by someone determined to eliminate Castle and Beckett once and for all? And will they be found in time? Season 9, episode 1.
1. Chapter 1

**Detente**

Season 9, Episode 1

Written by Trinity Everett and encantadaa

 _This is a work of fiction by writers with no professional connection to ABC network's Castle. Recognizable characters are the property of Andrew Marlowe and ABC. Names, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental._

* * *

 **May 17, 2016**

"You know, I really shouldn't be surprised that there are this many people in here before 8:00 a.m., but I am."

Snorting in unison, Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito clapped their hands on Vikram's shoulders and propelled him into the bar, Lanie trailing behind them. It wasn't crowded by any means; roughly a dozen patrons were dispersed through the room, some with luggage at their feet, some looking as if they had come in for a bit of the hair of the dog that bit them. Still, the room was populated enough that nobody looked at the newcomers twice.

"Welcome to the city that never sleeps."

"You say that like I haven't been living here since September."

Ryan and Esposito exchanged a look - that was another conversation for another time, a time when they weren't so sleep-deprived and the dust had settled on the whole LokSat thing - before shrugging.

"Yes, well, you may have been here since September, but you haven't been here with _us_ since September. And this, my friend, is a time-honored post-case tradition. No matter what time it is."

Beside his partner, Esposito nodded. "My boy's right, bro. And since you're part of the team now, it's time for you to be a part of it."

"Is there a secret handshake?" Vikram drawled, looking back to Lanie for support. The M.E. just rolled her eyes.

"Don't give them ideas, please. They might actually make up club rules and everything."

"Yeah," Esposito agreed, knocking her with an elbow. "First rule: no making fun of the rules."

"Or the club founders," Ryan added, leading the charge to a booth near the back of the room while Esposito hung back to get the first round of drinks.

Lanie rolled her eyes, allowing her tired body to sink onto the battered vinyl seat. "I'd say you two do that well enough on your own without any help from me."

Ryan shrugged, flopping beside her and offering a lopsided grin. "Never take yourself too seriously. Rule number two."

"Should I be writing these down?" Vikram asked, looking around the table as the others chuckled. "Would that make me club recording secretary?"

"What'd I say about encouraging them?"

Lifting a shoulder, Vikram settled in. "When in Rome. Or, well, a New York bar at eight in the morning on a Tuesday."

"Atta boy. See? You're learning already."

"Go team." Vikram fist-pumped, taking the proffered pint glass from Esposito's hand as soon as he neared the table. His companions snorted, relieving the detective of their glasses as well.

Esposito slumped finally, dropping his head back against the booth's wooden ledge. "Jeez, what a day."

Mimicking his partner's posture, Ryan exhaled. "Yeah."

Four glasses lifted, but only two sipped. Instead, the partners shared a long look.

"I just can't believe-"

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, cutting him off. "Yeah, me either."

Vikram looked from one to the other. "Is this how you decompress? Seems kind of… counterproductive. I thought this was all about the party? Celebration?"

Esposito eyed him, shaking his head behind a slow pull from his beer. "It's part of the process. You can't just skip straight to the dancing until you get it out."

Vikram gave them both a nod. "Understood. Well, I am here to learn your ways. Teach me."

"Don't," Lanie warned, dropping her face into her hand as Ryan and Esposito leaned forward, eager to share their secrets. "Now you've done it."

Two sets of eyes turned to her, feigning wide-eyed innocence. "He asked, Lanie; it's the least we can do."

"No, the least you two can do is not make up something to torment the poor guy."

Esposito lifted a shoulder, looking Vikram over. "Does he look distressed to you, Ryan?"

Kevin tilted his head, studying the analyst with a critical eye. "Looks okay to me."

Shaking her head, Lanie tapped the table. "Let me out. I'll leave you three stooges in peace for a few minutes."

"Hey, we resemble that remark."

"Of course you do. Now move, Ryan, before I have to hear something about how all of this silliness plays into your 'game.'"

Esposito sniffed, holding his glass to his lips. "My game is just fine, Lanie."

Getting to her feet, the M.E. could only laugh. "Sure it is. Sure. All the ladies are just lining up for you this morning, Javi."

She made sure to pat his shoulder on her way around him, patronizing as ever.

Grinning, Vikram looked back at the other men. "So teach me, sensei, other sensei, teach me. Because I gotta tell you, the line for this guy," he paused, jabbing his index finger against his chest, "is a little short."

Both men chuckled, but Esposito was the one to answer. "Oh, don't you worry. You may have been burned before, but we'll take care of that."

When Vikram laughed again, only one other voice joined him. Glancing over, he saw Ryan's amused smirk had faded, replaced by downturned lips and a furrowed brow.

"What?" Esposito asked, turning to his partner. "Jenny? The baby?"

"Ah, no. Just… he's been burned before."

Vikram's eyebrows jumped. "Well, you don't have to rub it in."

"No. Not that. Just thinking about earlier. Caleb Brown and… you know who."

Esposito's face blanked. He wasn't following in the least. "What about it?" he asked.

"Why would he have had the body burned elsewhere? He wanted to get rid of Brown, why would he have his lackey kill him in the car when he had that incinerator downstairs."

"To rattle Beckett's cage? To warn her off of him?"

"Yeah, that's true." Ryan licked his lips, trying and failing to release the tension from his shoulders. "But this guy was all about covering his tracks, right?"

Vikram nodded, agreeing. They had all witnessed that much.

"Then killing Brown, burning the body, and leaving it where the cops could find it would be the opposite of what he'd probably do."

"What're you saying? This isn't over? It wasn't… you think somebody else killed Caleb Brown?"

Ryan shook his head, scrubbing a hand down his face. "I don't know. Just something doesn't add up."

"Next thing you're going to tell me is the body was a plant."

Ryan's eyes widened. "What if it was? Lanie, you ran the records, but they could've been tampered with. We've seen it before. What if the body in the car was a contingency plan? Their way of pulling a Jerry Tyson and disappearing?"

Esposito glanced around the table, meeting Lanie's eyes first, then Vikram's. The analyst looked pale. "Could he have done that? Faked his death and covered it up?"

"This is LokSat, anything's possible. They hacked my records once; they could've changed Caleb Brown's DNA in our system before we even started looking into him and nobody would be any the wiser."

Already, they were scooting out of the booth. Espo pointed to Vikram. "Go back to the precinct and dig up everything you can on both of them: Caleb Brown, Mason Wood, everyone they've worked with. I need aliases, I need childhood homes that could become safe houses, I need everything."

Vikram nodded. "I'm on it."

"I'll call Beckett," Esposito announced, grabbing his cell from his jacket pocket.

"I'll get Castle." Ryan lifted his phone to his ear, following Lanie out of the bar and onto the street. "Damn it. Straight to voicemail. His phone must be off."

Esposito shook his head. "Beckett's not picking up, either. We need to get over there."

Hailing a cab, he gestured for Vikram to take it. "Call my phone the second you know something. Don't get the Feds involved until you have to."

The analyst nodded, climbing in without a word. The car pulled away from the curb before the door had even closed, leaving the others to turn toward Castle and Beckett's SoHo loft.

"You think he's coming after them?" Lanie asked, dogging it to keep pace with them.

"I think they need to know he could be out there. And since they're not answering their phones, they're gonna get the news in person."

Ryan nodded, the agreement coming without hesitation. "Lanie, maybe you should…"

"Nah uh. Not a chance. If you think they're in trouble, I'm coming, too."

Without slowing their pace, the detectives shared a look.

"We don't know what we could be walking into, Lanie. It could be bad."

"Or it could be nothing, and they could just be in bed ignoring their phones. After the night they had, I wouldn't blame them for needing some peace and quiet."

"Try calling again," Esposito instructed, nodding for Ryan to hail a cab as he made the call for backup. Just in case. They needed to make sure this LokSat thing was over, once and for all, and whether Castle and Beckett were in bed or not, whether they were asleep or not, it was happening now.

They just had to make sure they made it in time.

* * *

The only thing she could think about was pain. It washed over her body in waves, so strong that she shuddered with each forced breath.

She had to keep breathing; she couldn't let it end this way. Her mother's life hadn't ended for her daughter's to come to this.

She had to keep breathing.

A cough came at her side. Castle. No, not him, too…

Kate reached out her hand, and he took it, his grasp frighteningly weak. "Kate," he croaked, his voice little more than a whisper.

It was so poetic she almost wanted to laugh. They'd been through everything together - they'd almost died in a freezer, almost died side-by-side inches away from a bomb, almost died who knows how many other times - and now, it had come to this. Both of them lying on the floor of the loft, the one place they were supposed to be safe, with their lives bleeding out of them.

The idea came to her so suddenly, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. Lucy. She called out the name, her voice straining with the effort as she attempted to get the system's attention. She felt like she was screaming, but little more than a whisper was coming out. Lucy couldn't hear her.

"Kate," Castle rasped from beside her. "Don't."

He could feel it, too. They were going to die.

"Alexis," Kate started. "Martha… my dad…"

"Love us," he finished. "Be okay."

She was fading fast, but he was fading faster. She could feel his grasp weakening, his fingers growing cold.

"Rick," she whispered, desperation in her voice. "I love you."

"I… luh…. luh… Kaaa..."

Silence.

Tears had been pricking at her eyes since she collapsed to the ground, but she let them flow freely now. She couldn't live without Rick. She couldn't. He couldn't leave.

"Rick," she rasped, her voice stronger now as she fought to keep not just herself alive, but her husband too. "Rick, don't go…"

It was too soon for their lives to end. There was so much they hadn't done yet; so many experiences they would be missing out on. They'd never get to travel to all the places they still hadn't visited, never get to have kids…

She couldn't let it end like this. But her life was draining out of her so quickly that she couldn't fight hard enough.

Gathering her strength, Kate squeezed Castle's hand once more, her fingers hardly tightening around his. She wished she could call her dad, tell him that she loved him and that everything was going to be okay. _He knows,_ a voice in her head reminded her. _He knows how much you love him._

Suddenly, her mom appeared, standing over Kate with a warm smile on her face. She didn't say anything, simply smiled, and no matter how hard Kate tried, she couldn't say anything, either. _I must be hallucinating_ , she thought. _If Mom were here, I'd be dead._

Kate attempted to reach her hand out, but it felt as though her body was filled with lead. She was weighed down; she couldn't move. Desperate to touch her mom, to know if the form in front of her was real, she tried once more to reach out. But the effort of moving only made her even more tired. The loft began to fade, her mom's smiling figure still clear in front of her.

Just then, she heard someone shouting her name. It sounded like it was a million miles away, but she would know that voice anywhere. Javi. Why was he here? Nothing was making sense anymore.

"Beckett!" The scent of Ryan's cologne washed over her, bringing her closer to reality. He was there, actually there, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see him. She could sense his presence, though, and with a start, she realized that the two detectives must have come to save her.

Kate tried to speak; tried to tell them to save Castle first, but the words wouldn't come. She must have made a noise, though, because Lanie appeared by her side, quicker than she knew was possible, her hands pressing down on one of her wounds. "Kate, baby," her best friend pleaded. "I know you can hear me. I need you to hold on, honey. You're gonna be okay. Castle's gonna be okay, too. You're both gonna make it."

As Lanie spoke, she heard Esposito in the distance, shouting things. Things like "two ambulances" and "emergency" and "gunshot wounds" and "they both have a pulse."

They both had a pulse. They were both going to make it. Both.

With those words, relief washed over her, and the vision of her mom finally disappeared as Kate's world faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

**May 17, 2016**

He was tied up.

As far as first thoughts upon regaining consciousness went, it was a pretty lame one, but it was all he could manage. He was still bound to that damn cross table, still in LokSat's hands.

Rick struggled, straining against the strap at his chest, facing resistance and, in return, pain. What had the goon done to him?

It didn't matter. He had to get out of there, had to find Beckett. Warn Beckett. He had done this. He was the one who had told her that Mason Wood was worthy of their trust, convinced her that the man had their best interests at heart. In doing that, he had signed her death warrant - all of their death warrants.

But he could make it right. If he could just get to her.

"Beck-"

Ow. Speaking hurt, too. Was there _lead_ on his chest?

"Easy. Easy, darling. You just had major surgery; you need to be still."

 _Darling_? Oh no. Oh God, no. Had they - was Alexis here too?

"Shh, Richard. You're going to be just fine."

"Kate," he croaked, sucking in a deep - and, damn it, painful - breath. "Where's Kate? Did he-"

"She's going to be just fine. She's down the hall."

His mother's fingers slid through his hair, gently, but even that hurt. Everything hurt.

"Ow," he breathed, turning away from the affection. "Wha' happened?"

His mother's hand retreated, but some semblance of clarity came back to him, and he knew she wasn't going far. "You were shot, honey. You and Katherine were both shot."

His chest throbbed at the statement, the memory surfacing through the fog of his confusion.

The burn of the bullet, the hard slap of the floor against his back.

Caleb Brown's smarmy, grating voice.

Beckett shouting his name, panicked, only to go down herself, her knees cracking on the hardwood.

Kate's fingers clenched in his, his wife croaking for Lucy or Linus - whatever the damn thing was called that week.

Then nothing.

"See her?" he managed, blinking hot tears from his eyes. Anguish clawed at his throat, shortening his breath.

Gentle fingers brushed his cheeks, attempting to soothe the raw hurt. "Soon, kiddo. You need to rest, too."

No, he needed to see her. He needed to know for himself that she was there, that the ache in his chest wouldn't soon include the sharp pain of grief.

"Please." He was begging; he knew he was begging, but there was no stopping the plea, the urgency. "Mother, please."

Martha's lips pursed. "I'll talk to your doctor."

Relief coursed through his veins, warmth replacing the chill of terror. "Thank you."

He couldn't help but notice the new lines around his mother's eyes, the stress even her best makeup job wasn't enough to hide. "Just rest, kiddo. Just rest. We'll take care of everything else."

His eyelids slipped shut in relief, much as he wanted to force them open. He wouldn't sleep. Not until he saw Kate. Not until he saw for himself that she was still breathing, still living - but sleep, and pain meds, too, dragged him under.

The last thing he remembered was the gentle swipe of his mother's fingertips over his cheek.

* * *

When he woke again, it was to the sound of low chatter, indistinguishable at first, but becoming clearer as the rush of consciousness quieted.

"Mother?" he rasped, attempting to force the weight from his eyelids.

"He's awake! Gram, Gram, he's awake."

Hearing the raw need in his daughter's voice, Castle tried again to open his eyes, blinking into bright fluorescent light as Alexis came into focus. "Hey, Pumpkin."

His daughter's face crumpled, and he watched fat tears roll down her cheeks.

"Oh God, Dad, I was so scared. I was so scared. Ryan called, and he said that you'd been shot, that Kate had been shot, and I just -" she cut off, the rest of the sentence lost behind a choked sob. "I thought it was _over_. I thought all of that was over. And then you were shot and I thought you were going to die."

"Alexis," he started, his heart aching at her anguish. He hadn't been the one to cause her pain, but he was culpable for it regardless - by having his memory erased to shield Kate from all traces of LokSat, by putting his faith in a virtual stranger instead of his wife's instincts, by not figuring out what Caleb Brown had done sooner. "M'sorry. M'so sorry. I never -" He reached for her, ignoring the way the movement stoked the embers of pain in his chest. "I never wanted -"

Alexis cut him off, swiping her fingers under her eyes, over her cheeks. "Don't be sorry," she snapped. "Just don't _die_."

"S'my plan." Castle swallowed, swiping his tongue over his lips. "Can I - water?"

The straw bumped his lips before he finished the sentence.

"Thanks," he mumbled, pausing to sip, giving his abused throat some measure of relief. "Where's Kate? Is she okay?"

Both women nodded. "She's in a room down the hall," his mother added, taking the glass from Alexis to deposit it on the tiny table beside his bed. Right, she had said that before. Maybe.

"How is she?" he asked instead of waiting more time in an attempt to untangle his jumbled memories.

"She was still asleep when I checked on her last. Jim flew back as soon as he could; he's been making decisions since you were taking a snooze of your own."

"Some snooze," Castle snorted, wiggling his fingers for Alexis to take his hand.

She was still shaking when she pressed her palm to his. His grip tightened, as firm as he could manage; he was still here, and he wasn't letting go.

"How bad?" he asked. "How bad was she? Is she?"

Martha exhaled, brushing cool fingers over his forehead. "She was shot twice. Once near her shoulder, close to where you were shot, once in her stomach. High, though. The surgery was long, longer than yours, but the doctor said it went well."

The assurance didn't make him feel any better. Didn't work to quell the nausea churning in his gut. His wife had been shot _again_. Twice. She had been shot twice.

His stomach lurched into his throat.

"Gonna - I'm gonna be sick."

A basin appeared under his chin, his throat burning as he brought up what little had been in his system until his body shook with dry-heaves.

Tears stung his eyes, though he couldn't be sure whether they were from pain, embarrassment, or some nebulous combination of the two.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Alexis's head bent, her eyes catching his as his mother whisked the pan away. "You're okay, Dad," she soothed, wiping his forehead with a damp cloth. "You're okay. Remember when I was little? How many times I've puked on you? We're not even close to even yet."

It didn't make him feel any better, but he pretended for her, forcing his lips into a grimace that would have to suffice as a smile.

"Don't think it counts when you're the parent, Pumpkin," he breathed, sucking in a breath. "But you did puke on me a lot."

His daughter sniffed, grabbing a tissue from the bedside table and swiping under her nose.

"Yeah, I did."

"Yeah," he agreed, licking his lips. "When can I see Kate?"

"Soon."

Castle shook his head. "Not good enough," he insisted. "I need to see her now. Please."

"Richard," his mother started. "I already asked the doctor and he said it would be better if you wait until -"

"No, Mother. I'll get up and find her myself if I have to."

Alexis jumped to her feet, squeezing his shoulder. "Why don't I at least check? Maybe we can get you a shared room?"

That would be nice. Being able to actually _see_ his wife, even if he couldn't get out of bed to touch her, hold her, or even kiss her.

"Thank you, Alexis." His shoulders relaxed as she disappeared.

Within hours he and Beckett were being wheeled into the same room, their beds being placed within reach of each other. His wife's eyes were closed, her skin waxy and pale, but he watched her chest rise and fall as the nurses made sure she was comfortable.

"She's just sleeping," his new favorite nurse explained on her way out. "You should be, too."

Rick nodded, though he was fairly certain they both knew he had no intention of closing his eyes until he saw Kate's open.

"She's right," his wife hummed. Kate's head turned, her chin dipping toward her shoulder as her eyes flickered open. "Shoul' be sleeping, too."

"You're not," he challenged, elation fluttering through his chest. They made it; they'd both made it.

"I sleeped - slept - for a while," she argued, stumbling over her words. Oh, she was still a little loopy; his wife was never one to use the wrong word. Slur a little bit, yes, but not like that. "Wanna see you."

"Me too," he promised. "Was about to come find you."

Her face brightened at that, her face losing some of its pallor. He felt his smile grow in response, only to have it fall when her eyes turned serious and her lips pursed. "M'so sorry, Castle."

"No," Rick rumbled, ignoring the sharp ache in his torso to stretch his arm toward her. He just wanted to touch her, to hold her hand across the small gap between their beds. "Beckett, no. You didn't do this. You didn't put this in motion, you didn't pull the trigger."

Her eyes lowered. "I was trying to stop it. I couldn't stop it."

"So was I," he said, hissing into the shoulder of his hospital gown as his fingers brushed hers. She turned her hand into his touch, her grip weak but determined, just like Kate herself. "We both were. We always had been."

She swallowed hard, tugging their joined hands to her cheek. The movement hurt, stretched his already screaming muscles, but he wasn't about to pull away. Not with her skin warming his knuckles. Not with his wife alive at his side. They were both bruised and more than a little bit beaten, but they were there.

"I killed him," she blurted long after he thought she had fallen back to sleep. "Caleb Brown. I killed him. I think?"

"You did, Beckett."

They both turned, finding Ryan and Esposito in the doorway.

"Guys, hey," Kate greeted, making an attempt to straighten in her bed, only to clamp her teeth down on her lower lip and slump back against her pillows, her breathing shallow.

"Easy, easy, Beckett," Esposito started, stepping in ahead of his partner, moving to her side. "You know, if you wanted a day off, all you had to do was ask. No reason to go and get yourself shot."

Watching the corners of their lips twitch upward, Ryan picked up the tease. "After all, Castle, don't you have enough money to whisk yourselves away without all this?"

They snorted. "Yeah, you know, change of scenery. Mix it up a little bit," Castle tried for nonchalant.

"Never boring," Kate added, catching his eye. Her thumb swiped his.

"No, never. Though maybe the guys are right; we could try to not be boring without the catheters."

"Deal."

The guys were smiling when Ryan spoke next. "We're not going to stay long, and we're not going to put a lot on your plate right now, Beckett, but we wanted to give you an update if you think you can… if you want."

Kate's head bobbed. "Tell me. Brown?"

"Dead. Good shot."

"Not good enough," she muttered, gripping Rick's hand tighter. He squeezed back, doing what he could to quell her guilt and frustration.

"Good enough to keep him from getting up to finish the job."

She nodded, giving them that.

"And we called in a favor with an old friend. She's going to work with Vikram to make sure Wood's not going anywhere anytime soon. He's in solitary until they can figure out the extent of his network and resources and decide how to proceed. But he's not getting off for this, any of this."

Huh, an old friend.

Castle's head tilted, the name poised on his tongue, but Beckett beat him to it, asking, "Shaw?"

Both detectives nodded. "Figured you'd approve, Boss. Gates is running point on it from our end. She's also sitting at your desk for a while."

"Good. I want you to take over once she's ready to go back to 1PP," she ordered, looking up at Esposito. His head bobbed in agreement.

At this point, Castle was pretty sure they would agree to just about anything Beckett wanted.

"You were the ones who found us?" she asked a moment later.

"Yeah. Lanie, too. We… it's a long story, but we had a hunch. Ryan had a hunch."

"Glad you did," Rick murmured. "Thanks, Kev."

Ryan nodded, bowing his head. "Yeah, me too. You bring the pastries, after all."

"Ahh," he hummed, appreciating the attempt at normalcy. "My worth has been determined."

Esposito lifted a shoulder. "Can't help it if we call it like we see it."

"Sure you do, Espo," Beckett teased. "How are you ever going to manage while we're gone?"

"We'll waste away, I'm sure."

"Gone?" Ryan asked, picking up on that thread before his partner could. "Are you leaving?"

Kate turned in Castle's direction. "I, well, I just meant while I'm out of the precinct, but -"

"Let's go to the Hamptons," he suggested without pause. "It's close enough to the city that we can come back and forth if we need to, but it'll be the perfect place to relax and recover."

Beckett nodded, squeezing his fingers. She was flagging again, her eyelids starting to droop. "We're going to the Hamptons for a while. So try to stay out of trouble, boys."

The detectives snorted. "Yeah, you guys are ones to talk. Anyway, we'll get out of your hair, let you rest."

"Thanks," they spoke in unison, releasing half-hearted chuckles as the boys stepped away from their beds.

"Hamptons, huh?" Beckett murmured, sinking deeper into her pillow.

He resisted doing the same, unwilling to surrender to the tug of sleep just yet. "Yeah. It's already our home away from home. We'll have access to everything we need."

Kate hummed, her eyes falling shut. "Just need you."

Castle's lips lifted. God, he wanted to kiss her. "Me too."

* * *

 **Three Weeks Later**

One of the things Kate loved about the Hamptons house was the flow of the layout. At first, it had seemed massive with the long hallways and different wings - she had been sure she would take a wrong turn and end up on the other side of the property - but in time, she'd grown to love the house as if it were her own and always had been.

The long halls made for the perfect place to pace in the middle of the night.

She wasn't taking the pills anymore. When she had been released from the hospital, the doctors had advised that she continue taking the prescription until it ran out, but just a week into her convalescence, she had switched to ordinary painkillers. They only took the edge off the pain, but she wasn't a zombie every minute of the day anymore.

The only problem was that she couldn't sleep. Some nights were better than others, but the days she was most active were also the nights when she would wake in the wee hours, trembling with the remnants of a dream and the agony of her body's discomfort. She always tried to slip from their king-sized bed before she woke Castle and ruined his own hard-fought rest by her nightly frustrations, padding through the house on quiet, albeit clumsy, feet.

It had been a victorious day when they had both been able to move back into their room upstairs - it was still a victory each time they climbed the stairs - but even at her most stubborn she had to admit that it was far easier to wander into the kitchen for a glass of water from the downstairs bedroom. She would make it, though; she always did. Her abs would relax as soon as her foot landed on the hardwood of the ground floor.

They had taken to leaving a light on downstairs, making it easier to navigate the silent house. She knew Castle got up, too; almost every night, she woke up to find his side of the bed vacant, the distant sound of his laptop keyboard alerting her to his activities. She'd never mentioned that she even noticed his midnight absences, let alone that she knew what he was doing. Writing seemed to be helping him heal and as long as they woke up together, she was content.

As always, she was greeted by the soft glow of the lamp on one of end tables in the living room and the hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen. Her mother-in-law, however, was a surprise.

"Martha," she whispered, palming her chest to curb the rapid stutter of her heart. "You scared me."

Castle's mother had arrived just a few hours ago, worn out after a long week of performances and declaring her intention to take the weekend to rejuvenate with her family. To find her still up was surprising.

Martha lowered her book, reaching for the mug at her side. "Sorry, kiddo. Didn't mean to startle you."

"Can't sleep?"

Curling her fingers around the mug, Martha shook her head. "Overtired, I suspect."

That wasn't it, but Kate let the excuse go for the time being. Just like Castle (and Kate herself), the older woman would talk when she was ready.

"I know what you mean. I spend most of the day doing nothing, though."

Martha shook her head. "Healing isn't nothing, honey. Not even close. Now, what has you up at this hour?"

Kate's lips lifted. "I was just going for some water."

"Well, if you'd like something soothing instead, I made plenty of tea."

Tea sounded nice. Maybe the warmth would loosen the knot in her belly.

"You don't mind?"

Her mother-in-law waved a hand. "Not at all."

Martha always said that, but after ten months of secrets had culminated in getting the woman's son shot, Kate wasn't going to assume anything. She wouldn't blame Martha if she harbored any resentment toward her.

"Katherine?" Martha called before she could cross into the kitchen. "Stop worrying so hard. Otherwise, we're going to need to break into the strong stuff."

That got her to laugh. "I wish."

She returned with a steaming mug just a few minutes later, easing her weary body down at the other end of the couch.

They sipped in silence, studying the liquid when their mugs lowered.

"How's your show going?" she asked, not for the first time since Martha had bustled into the house earlier in the evening.

Her lapse didn't go unnoticed, but Martha wasn't going to call her on it.

"You know how it is, darling. Good shows and bad shows, but I think we're hitting our stride."

"And they don't mind you being away for a long weekend?"

Martha reached for her hand, giving her fingers a firm squeeze. "They understand. If I didn't think you and Richard would be utterly sick of me, I'd be here the whole time."

"We wouldn't," she denied. "But we're both terrible patients. I feel guilty enough that we're putting Alexis through our grouchiness, especially since she's busy with her online classes. I would hate to subject you to it, too."

Her mother-in-law chuckled. "You wouldn't have been able to convince Alexis to stay away, even if you were the world's worst patients. It was good of Richard to insist that she take online courses this summer if she wanted to stay here with you full-time. She'd put her life on hold for either of you without a second thought."

Kate smiled. "That's probably true. And she's been a lifesaver, taking care of us both."

Martha's head tilted, studying her. "She's taking care of you because she loves you both. _We_ love you both. And regardless of the wisdom in your decisions - both of your decisions - we know you made the choices you did out of love."

Her heart thudded against her ribs, a dull pulse in the healing tissue of her wounds. Oh, she had needed that, to know Rick's family - her family - didn't hate her for this mess.

Kate nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."

"What else is keeping you up?"

What wasn't?

"Nothing, really."

Martha didn't look convinced. "You were holding your side earlier."

"Ah, yeah. I'm just a little sore tonight. We took a walk down to the beach before you got here; it felt nice at the time, but it may have been a little too much."

The other woman nodded.

"I'll be fine," she hastened to add. "I just didn't want to wake Rick with my squirming."

"Oh, I don't think he would complain."

"No, I know, I just want to make sure he heals, too." She sipped her tea, shutting her eyes and appreciating the warmth.

She sighed, dropping her hand to rest on her belly, her fingers twitching. The wound was starting to ache again, despite the painkiller she had taken before coming downstairs, but she resisted the urge to put pressure on it.

"I've been thinking, too," she blurted, taking care to keep her voice low. "About what happens now."

Her companion scooted closer, settling a hand on her knee. "What do you mean?"

Pulling her lip between her teeth, Beckett shook her head. "Just… plans. If they're still what we want, if we can even make them happen. "

"Like what?"

"Kids?" she said, the words tumbling from her lips before she could stop them. "We'd been… talking about kids, and going on trips. Work, of course. But... what if this sets us back?"

"Have you talked to Richard about your concerns?"

She shook her head again. "There's been so much happening; I don't want to make him worry about this, too."

"Kate."

She nearly jumped out of her seat at the quiet rasp of her name. His quiet rasp. Pitching forward - too fast, ow - she pushed her mug onto the coffee table and got to her feet.

"Castle. What are you doing up?"

He looked rumpled and worn, his hair standing all over the place, his night clothes askew, but he didn't have the tell-tale bleariness of having been pulled from slumber.

"Needed the bathroom, couldn't get back to sleep." His voice was rough, but the answer seemed practiced, prepared.

Kate reached for him, curling her fingers around one of his elbows. He was favoring his injured side again, keeping his arm close to his chest.

"Remember to stretch out, babe," she hummed, focusing on him instead of what he might have overheard. "You need a pill?"

"Just a regular painkiller," he agreed, though she could see he was reluctant to admit it. Stubborn man; he grimaced as he straightened his arm - lack of movement more than anything else, she knew - but he was going to tough it out unless she asked.

Behind them, Martha stood. "I'll get it for you. And some tea, too."

Castle nodded, his eyes never leaving Kate's. "Thank you, Mother."

A clock ticked in the distance, filling the air between them, and oh, it had been a while since they'd been this close to do anything more than support one another on the way to bed. Even their walk on the beach earlier had consisted of chaste hand-holding and a respectful distance between their bodies.

"Hi," he greeted, his eyes sparking to life, probably with the same revelation she'd just had.

"Hi."

"You come here often?" he asked. His palm dropped to her hip, the arm he'd been cradling just a few moments earlier winding around her waist to pull her closer.

It was more than a cheesy pickup line, she knew. It was a question of how many nights she wandered the halls without him.

Licking her lips, she lifted a shoulder. "On occasion. You?"

"Me too." He was downplaying, that much was obvious. But then again, so was she.

"Mmm. Well, running into you has been nice. Feels like I haven't seen you in a few weeks."

He nodded at that, acknowledging that they had been living like ghosts with one another for too long, his thumb making a broad sweep along the small of her back. "You're seeing me now."

"Yeah," she agreed, swiping her own thumb across his cheek, along the purple lines under his eye. "I am."

"Kate -"

"Okay, darling, I have two ordinary painkillers and tea, just the way you like it. Sit, sit."

Castle sagged against her, leaving her to smother a smile. Maybe things were starting to get back to normal.

Stepping back, Kate found his hand and tugged him with her. They were both sleepless, but at least this time, they were sleepless together.

Martha didn't even wait for them to be seated before fussing over them both. Kate's tea had been refilled, and she accepted the ceramic with less than graceful fingers. They both chuckled when a plush fleece blanket landed across their laps.

"There. And now that you're settled, I think I'm going to take my leave, let you two have some time together."

"Oh, but you were reading, Martha. Don't let us chase you away."

Her mother-in-law shook her head. "These old eyes are tired. I'll finish the chapter another time. Goodnight, you two."

"Night," they echoed, accepting the kisses she bestowed on their cheeks, watching her go with amused smiles.

"How much did you hear?" Kate asked finally, lowering her mug into her lap.

Castle licked his lips, twisting with surprising dexterity to put his mug on the end table before reaching for hers. "What if this sets us back," he answered, reaching for her hands.

"Ahh. I'm sorry, I should've brought it up somehow, I just -"

His lips covered hers, warm and insistent. Promising. And so very, very welcome.

Cradling his cheek, she leaned into the kiss, opening to him, welcoming him. Too long, it had been too long.

"It's only a setback if we let it become one," he rumbled against her lips, earnestness in every word. "I still want it all if that's what you want."

"It is," she confirmed, brushing her nose over his. "It is, Castle. But…"

"But?" he prompted, taking another kiss from her mouth as she gathered her thoughts - or attempted to, at least. The slow tease of his tongue over her lip was distracting enough.

"What if we can't make it happen? What if they say we should wait and then it doesn't happen, or -"

"Then we change the plan. Options, Beckett. We have a lot of them. There are other ways to add to this family."

Her heartbeat stuttered, calming at his reassurances. "Yeah, I know."

Castle smiled against her mouth. "Good. So we're in agreement? Find out when we can start… napping again, what our odds would be, and see where we go from there?"

She nodded, sinking against him as hope welled in her chest. "We're in agreement," she added, knowing he needed to hear her say it.

He hummed, gathering her closer. "It'll be great, Kate."

She hoped so.


	3. Chapter 3

**September 2016**

"Yeah, we're home."

Rick had been struggling to tear his gaze from the spot he had occupied when Caleb Brown had blindsided them just a few months earlier, but hearing his wife's voice, he lifted his head.

"It helped not coming home to a mess," Kate continued, her voice low from their bedroom, and he pictured her cradling her phone between her shoulder and her ear. "So thank you for your help. I know you and Martha worked together to take care of everything while we were gone."

Ah, Lanie. She was talking to Lanie.

He had known that Lanie and his mother had taken care of cleaning the loft immediately after they'd left the city, but looking around, he realized that they had done even more over the summer. New pillows were on the couch, the window coverings let more light into the room, fresh flowers adorned the counter, and most importantly, there was no sign of blood or bullets.

"No, you don't have to do that. The housekeeper went shopping this morning, and I think we're just going to try to settle in for the night, get used to being back here. Thanks, though."

He heard her chuckle. "Yeah. I will, I promise. Even if it's late, I will call if we need anything. Okay. Yes. Good _bye_ , Lanie."

She emerged from the bedroom before he could pretend he hadn't been listening. She had changed her clothes, too, swapped t-shirts and ditched the shorts she had worn home from the Hamptons and pulled on yoga pants instead.

"What?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Castle shook his head, forcing himself out of the funk he had settled into as soon as they'd split up upon entering the loft. She was in a good mood, and he wouldn't spoil that because their house felt less than homey at the moment. "Nothing. That was Lanie?"

"Yeah." Beckett stepped closer, smoothing her hand down his arm. He caught her fingers with his, swinging their hands between them. "Just checking in. Espo texted, too. They know your mom and Alexis stayed in the Hamptons for a few extra days."

"I got a text from Ryan as we were parking. Wanted to see if we needed anything."

His wife's lips lifted. "Five bucks says they drop by tonight even though we said we were okay."

"Probably. We could always put a sock on the door to tell them we're fine, but busy."

Kate laughed, sweet and airy in the quiet of their home. The time away from the city had been good for them, but if he was honest (which he tried to be), he would say that re-establishing their intimate connection, both physical and mental, had been exactly what they had needed to recover.

"Very old school of you, Castle."

One shoulder lifted. "I like to stick with the classics, what can I say?"

"Okay, Mr. Classic. Why don't we eat something before we get too far ahead of ourselves?" She lifted onto her toes, swiping her lips over his with enough finality to tell him there would be no pre-dinner treat.

"If you insist."

She grinned, tugging him deeper into the kitchen. His heart stammered hard against his sternum, the nearly healed wound on his chest throbbing in response.

"Castle," Kate called. He felt her palm his cheek, turning his face away from the alcove under the stairs. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. He was fine. There was nobody in the loft, lurking in the shadows to gun them down. "Yeah, I'm good. Just thought someone was at the door already."

Kate nodded, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth. "Let's make pasta. From scratch. And your garlic butter sauce. Please?"

Well, that wasn't playing fair; she knew he couldn't resist her when she said please like that. Especially when she turned wide, innocent eyes on him along with the request.

"Okay. But only because you said please."

She grinned, dropping her eyes to make lazy trails down his chest. "If it helps at all, I fully intend to say thank you, as well."

He smothered a groan. Oh, it helped quite a bit.

* * *

"So, assuming Burke clears me tomorrow, I should be back at work in the next few days," Kate said, breaking off a piece of garlic bread and dragging it through the extra sauce in her bowl. "Want to come with?"

Her foot brushed Castle's ankle, and she delighted in watching him swallow hard. Playing with him was always fun.

"You mean after spending all summer together, you can still stand me enough to want me at work with you too?" he teased, wiping his mouth on a napkin. The meal had been rich, almost too filling, but such a worthwhile indulgence.

Kate knocked his shoulder with hers, settling against his side. "Mmm, well this summer we spent a lot of the time sleeping, so."

Castle chuckled. His fingers folded around hers, the touch both a comfort and a promise at once.

"I would be happy to come bother you at work again. Of course, I will have to check in at the PI office at some point, but I can do that whenever. After work, even, if you'd like to accompany me."

She nodded in easy agreement. "Though I'm not going to make out with you in the secret room if Hayley's there."

"You wound me."

She felt him go rigid at his own words. "Like you weren't angling for it, Castle," she murmured instead of drawing attention to the slip.

"Well, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It's private, it's comfortable, it's -"

"Not going to happen. At least not this time."

"Oh, the sweet swell of hope," he teased, bumping her lips with his.

Kate grinned. Dork.

"Come on, let's leave the dishes for the night and relax."

Sitting at the breakfast bar had been her idea, a way of fighting the specter of Caleb Brown and that day, but she was tired; the trip home hadn't been long or particularly strenuous, but she was still wiped out and ready to sink onto a surface with a cushion for her back.

Her husband seemed to agree, sliding to his feet and scooping their dishes off the countertop, loading them into the dishwasher before she could protest.

"It was empty and there's still work to do," he explained, moving back to her side, ready to help ease her from the chair if she had stiffened up while they were eating.

She didn't nudge him away, but she didn't accept his assistance either. Instead, she stepped into him, bumping his chin with her nose. They were both strong and ready to push their boundaries even harder than they had been.

"You know, if you hadn't agreed to come back, I could've made it an order."

His hands fell to her hips, keeping her close as they made their way to the couch. They moved together, the dance well-practiced and easy, even after months of absence from their home.

"Why's that?" he rumbled, the corners of his lips twitching.

"Because _someone_ is still short on their community service hours."

Even including the summer before she took over at the Twelfth, he was shy a couple hundred hours. Albeit they both knew the punishment was largely perfunctory, it wouldn't hurt to have the completion on file.

"Well, the captain's husband can't be delinquent on that, can he?"

"Mmm, probably not. Plus, if you wanted… after you serve your time, there might be another position open."

Castle's hand paused its lazy trail over her back. "I'm listening."

"I sneaked a peek at my work email earlier, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything about getting back. Most of it was junk, but I saw something about a civilian investigator position. Know anyone with experience in that area?"

Interest sparkled in his eyes. "I might know a guy."

"Good. I'll send you the email tomorrow. Now," she hummed, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket and depositing it on the coffee table beside hers before turning back to cup his face in her hands. "Did you put the sock on the door?"

* * *

Seeing Dr. Burke again for the first time in many months was strange, but more comforting than she had thought it would be. The therapist greeted her at his office door with a sincere smile and a warm handshake, expressing his happiness to see her well.

"How is Rick?"

Beckett smiled, settling into the chair she always occupied when she came for her sessions. "He's better. We spent the summer in the Hamptons. It was good for him. For me, too."

Burke nodded. "Glad to hear that. You look like the time away was beneficial."

"It was. Things had been… difficult before; I needed the break."

Her therapist nodded again, adjusting his notebook on his lap. "Now, I know we're here to clear you to return to duty, but if you don't mind, I'd like to treat this like one of our normal sessions and we can talk about your shooting as well."

"That's fine," she agreed. That might be easier, actually, since she hadn't seen Burke in some time; they wouldn't be diving into the shooting immediately.

"In that case, why don't we start by talking about what's changed since our last visit."

Okay, maybe not that easy.

"We might need more than one session for that," she drawled, drawing her legs into the chair under her, ignoring the way the movement tugged at the scar on her abdomen.

Burke's lips lifted a tad. "We'll take the time you need. Last time we spoke, I believe you had just found out you would be taking over at the Twelfth, correct?"

"Correct." It felt like it had been a lifetime ago, when her biggest concerns had been about her ability to lead effectively and making the transition from peer to boss. And then she'd had her first day, and Vikram had called, and everything had ended up in motion, rolling, rolling, rolling, until she and Castle nearly bled out on their kitchen floor.

"Kate?" Burke prompted, forcing her attention back to him, forcing her to take air into her lungs once more. "Talk to me about where your head is right now."

Her head dropped to her knee. "It's been a hell of a year."

"It has," he agreed, as patient as ever.

"I just can't help thinking that my first day as captain was the one that shaped everything."

Her therapist nodded, but offered nothing in return, leaving her to dig up the words she wanted to say, the explanation she wanted to give.

In the end, she started at the beginning. The phone call, the hit squad, LokSat, stepping away to keep her husband safe. Little by little, it all spilled out - even the explanation for why, through all of it, she had never once reached out to Burke himself.

"I thought it would be enough to keep people safe, to keep Castle safe, and still be able to end it."

"But you both were shot anyway," Burke observed, cutting right to the heart of things.

Beckett nodded, dragging her teeth over her lip. "We were. And Castle, Castle blames himself, I think. But it wasn't his fault, none of it was."

"It wasn't yours either, Kate."

That was going to take a little more convincing.

"It's still hard to reconcile," she said finally, looking up from her hands.

"It takes time. But just as you reassure Rick, allow him to reassure you. Reassure yourself." Dr. Burke made a note on his pad and changed the subject. "Tell me about the shooting and the days surrounding it. What do you remember?"

The first time she had met Carter Burke, he had asked a similar question, _"What do you remember about your shooting?"_ and she had lied to protect the mangled, fragile thing she called her heart.

She told him everything today.

Beckett emerged from the doctor's office an hour later, wrung out but somehow lighter than before. She had another appointment in a week, but she was cleared to go back to work. Provided 1PP agreed, of course. Which meant she had another call to make.

Maybe she would do that over coffee with the man perched on the bench outside her therapist's office. He'd been hard at work with his latest chapter of _Heat Storm_ when she left the loft earlier, but she couldn't say she was surprised to see him now.

"Hey, babe," she greeted, stepping close enough for their toes to touch. "You reached a stopping point?"

Castle hummed, pocketing his phone with one hand and linking his index finger with two of hers. "Better than that."

He didn't elaborate and she didn't push; he would tell her what he was up to when he was ready.

"Good. And since I suppose this means you're playing hooky this afternoon, can I treat you to some lunch?"

Her husband grinned, squeezing her fingers, burning away more of the weariness she always felt when she left a session with Burke just by being him. "I'd love that."

"'Kay. Where to? You pick."

Castle's head tilted in a moment of concentration before he got to his feet. "I have just the place."

He turned in the opposite direction from what she'd been expecting.

"No Remy's?" she asked, keeping pace with him, their fingers linked in the scant space between their bodies.

He shook his head. "Not today. Back to work treat."

It would be a treat, sitting at her desk with him, stealing fries from his takeout container after hers were gone. It would be like old times, just with a larger desk as their table.

"Can't wait," she said, knocking her nose against his shoulder. "So where are we going now?"

"Another favorite," he promised. His smile only widened at her huff of frustration. "It's a surprise, Beckett. You like my surprises."

Most of them anyway. Eventually.

When he led her to the unassuming storefront that housed their favorite Chinese restaurant, she had to admit it. She did like his surprises.

At least until they stepped inside, and the normally enticing scent of soy sauce and sesame oil made her stomach flip.

Well. That was new.

* * *

"You sure you're okay?"

It wasn't the first time Castle had asked, but she swallowed the rise of annoyance down. He was just concerned. He'd been so good about not hovering this summer - in part because he was recovering too, but she would give it to him anyway - he had kind of earned a little bit of helicopter husbanding.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." Her head lolled against the back of the couch, giving her a better angle on his face as he worked. "Aren't you tired? We did _so_ much today."

His thumb swiped across the top of her foot. "I am, but you look - and don't take this the wrong way - you look exhausted. And you picked at your lunch. I know the doctor cleared you, but are you sure you're okay? It's not too much too quickly?"

"But I ate my dinner," she reminded him, lifting an eyebrow. "I was just a little keyed up from the conversation with Gates, that's all."

Her former captain had expressed relief over her recovery (Castle's too) and had agreed to allow her to return to work in two days, but Victoria Gates had also cautioned her about keeping a lower profile this time around.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine. You're a good captain, Kate. And you brought down a dangerous, powerful man, and got justice for not only your AG team, but also for countless others."

Beckett shook her head, reaching for him, whatever part of him she could touch. "We did. We did that."

Her husband offered her a soft smile, closing the lid on his laptop and stretching across the couch.

"Watch your shoulder," she warned, studying his face for signs of discomfort as he braced his hands on either side of her head. Her fingers connected with his chest, steadying him if he needed it.

"My shoulder's okay," he promised, dipping his head.

"Okay, good." Her chin lifted, lips parting in expectation.

To her surprise, he swiped his mouth across her forehead instead. Her temple followed, then her cheek, before finally his lips met hers.

"Come to bed, Beckett," he rumbled, brushing the tip of his nose over hers.

"It's eight."

"So? You did say you were tired."

"I don't want to sleep before the sun sets. It makes me feel geriatric."

His hand slipped over her side, warm through the flimsy material of her t-shirt. "Okay. I can work with that."

Curling her fingers under his shirt collar, Kate grinned. "That's more like-"

Her phone buzzed from the coffee table. Once, twice, three times in quick succession.

"- it," she finished with a sigh.

"You sure you want to go back to work?" he grumbled, though it was good natured. "Because I have a feeling we're in for a lot more interruptions like that."

Kate palmed his cheek, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to his temple.

"I'll put it on silent next time," she promised.

Squirming under his weight, she grappled for her cell phone, skimming the notifications - one email from Gates with a form she needed to fax, one game notification thanks to Castle's earlier fiddling, and a text from Ryan.

 _Glad to hear you'll be back in a couple days, boss. Javi's made a mess of your office._


	4. Chapter 4

**September 26, 2016**

"Are they here yet?"

Kevin Ryan looked over his shoulder, watching his partner scoop up another pile of paperwork and attempt to restore order to Kate Beckett's once-clean desk. Gates had left things spotless on her final day, but in the weeks since then, casework and actually running the joint had caught up with Esposito. Until he'd started his warp-speed clean up, the place had looked a little like a tornado had blown through.

"Not yet. Desk sergeant said he'd text me when they walk in, give us a heads-up."

"Good. You got the banner too?"

"LT put it up half an hour ago. While you were drowning in requisitions."

Esposito snorted. "Yeah, thanks for that. You know, you wanted the promotion, too. How come you didn't help me out with some of this stuff?"

Kevin smirked, turning back to watch the hall anyway, in case Beckett and Castle had snuck in the back or something.

"You never asked."

"For that, when you need an escape for man time, you can call your brother-in-law Nelson."

"Cold." He grinned anyway. "You know, Nelson's actually not that bad anymore. He might actually be fun to hang out with."

"You would say that."

"Just being honest."

His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Oh, oh, that's them. They're here. It's as clean as it's ever gonna get, come on."

"Ah, just one more thing," Javi stalled, spinning in place. "Here."

He resituated two of Beckett's desk ornaments. "Okay, we're good. Let's do this."

They stumbled out of Beckett's office, calling an announcement to the rest of the bullpen.

"Everybody, they're on their way up. Get ready."

All eyes turned to the elevator, waiting for the doors to slide open. He and Espo had seen Castle and Beckett once over the summer, at their place on the Fourth of July, but Kevin knew that nobody else had, and they were all anxious to welcome the captain and her partner back.

Life had gone on without the pair. They'd had good cases and bad ones; everyone had made it through with their usual humor, but it would be good to get back to something more normal.

The room erupted into applause the moment Beckett stepped from the elevator car with Castle on her heels. Even from across the room, Kevin was able to see the blush stain his boss's cheeks at the attention.

"Welcome back," he and Javi chorused once Beckett and Castle had made the rounds, receiving hugs and handshakes the entire way. "Long time, no see."

"Thanks," they spoke as one - at least that hadn't changed - stepping out of the fray.

"You look good," Kevin offered.

"Yeah, better than you did on the Fourth."

That made them chuckle, and he watched Beckett squeeze the inside of Castle's elbow. "Thanks, guys. We feel better."

"Good, that's good."

Beckett smiled easily. "You can tell Sarah Grace it was the cards she and Nicholas sent us. We had them on the counter in the Hamptons, and we put them on the fridge when we got home."

Castle's head bobbed in confirmation. "Especially the flower ones."

Ryan grinned. His daughter was adorable. She had been sending her aunt and uncle hand-drawn cards all summer long, signing them from both herself and her baby brother. "I'll let her know."

"And thanks for the welcome back, too. Really makes a guy feel special."

"Eh, it's the least we can do. For Beckett anyway," Ryan teased. "Especially once you see Esposito's filing system."

His partner gaped, feigning betrayal. "Bro."

Their friends laughed, relaxing into the banter once more. "Don't worry, Espo, Ryan already narced on you the other night."

"Karpowski made cake, too, if you want some," he added, sidestepping Esposito's swinging arm to bump fists with Castle. "In the break room."

"Perfect. I'll grab that and get us more coffee while you get up to speed," Castle announced, swiping his lips across Beckett's cheek.

The blush returned to Beckett's cheeks, but she didn't admonish her husband for the gesture. If anything, she leaned into it.

They were going to be sickeningly cute for a while, weren't they? Worse than after they got married, he would bet.

"Okay," Beckett began once Castle had disappeared, "get me up to speed. What do you have open right now?"

They followed her into her office, watching as she lowered herself into her desk chair and splayed her fingers across her blotter.

"We're working two right now, waiting on lab results for one, waiting to run something by you on the other. Second shift is juggling three. Everybody's backed up right now."

Beckett nodded, thumbing through one of the stacks Esposito had left for her. "How were your numbers while I was gone?"

"Ah…" They shared a look. "Well, they were-"

"I'm not trying to bust your chops, guys. I just want to know so I have the information, and your side of things, if I'm asked."

"They were down," Esposito admitted, dipping his head. "But we were also down more than three people, so we held our own."

Their friend smiled, giving them a small nod. "You guys did great. You did. I'm not faulting you for anything. Especially given the way you were thrown into it."

Sharing a look, they shuffled closer to Beckett's desk. "Well, we appreciate you not having our heads for anything."

Beckett chuckled. "There's still time. I have plenty of piles to go through. Tell me about the stuff you have open. You said for one of them you were waiting to run something by me?"

"Yeah. We caught that one yesterday. Guy's walking his dog, minding his own business, and of course, the dog's sniffing everything. But instead of other dogs, Fluffy sniffs out our vic, Andrew Sutton."

"Wrapped in a sleeping bag, hidden by some bushes," Kevin added. "Somebody really did a number on him; he had signs of head trauma, plus Lanie determined his neck was broken."

"Homeless?" she asked, looking up as Castle came sliding in carrying Beckett's blue mug in one hand and a plate bearing a slice of cake in the other.

They waited for Castle to settle everything in front of Beckett before answering.

"Nope. Lives in Brooklyn."

"So what was he doing in Manhattan with a sleeping bag? In the bushes, no less."

Castle perched on the edge of Beckett's desk. "Maybe he was a hedge fund manager?"

Three groans bounced around the captain's office.

"I should make you go home for that," Beckett muttered, sipping her coffee. Ryan watched her purse her lips, but she just took another sip and continued. "I take it you've already found out what he actually does for a living and notified next of kin?"

"That's the thing. Other than his ID with his address, nobody seems to know this guy at all. Neighbors barely remember seeing him, there's no work information, even the building manager has no idea where his rent was coming from. Didn't care, of course, 'cause he got his money, but he couldn't give us a contact."

"And we're not even sure that the park was the actual crime scene, or if he was dropped there from somewhere else."

"Another place?" Castle asked, popping a bite of cake into his mouth. "Or another time?"

"Time travelers again, Castle?" Esposito asked. "Haven't you had two already?"

The writer lifted a shoulder. "What's a third time-traveling theory between friends? Besides, I'm a little CIA conspiracied out."

"Hear hear," Beckett added, poking at his knee until he shifted to allow her to tug her desk drawer open for a pen and a new pad of sticky notes. "You talked to the building manager, what else did he say?"

"He saw Sutton arguing with a guy a few weeks prior to his death."

"What were they arguing about?" Castle asked, clasping his fingers in his lap.

"He had no idea. Just gave us a description of the guy and told us we were keeping him from his work."

Off Beckett's expectant look, Espo rattled it off. "Reasonably tall. Dark hair, kinda buzzed in the back, floppy in the front - the style now, in his words. No glasses. Nothing standout about his voice."

"And the argument?"

"According to Mr. Pitten, it went something like, 'You're going to regret this, don't be an idiot,' which we all know would've probably been harmless…"

"Had Mr. Sutton not ended up dead," Beckett finished, tilting her head. "What about the sleeping bag? What do you know about that?"

"Lab still has it, but we know it's older just by the look of it."

Beckett nodded, leaning back in her chair, arms crossing over her chest. "So assuming it belonged to Mr. Sutton, he either bought it a while ago, or maybe got it second-hand? Check around his apartment for thrift stores, consignment shops, sporting goods stores. See if anyone remembers him buying it, or can tell you more about where he could've bought it. That might tell us why or how he ended up in the bushes."

They nodded, already turning to leave. "On it, boss."

"Oh, and guys?" Beckett waited for them to face her again. "Thanks. For everything."

"Anytime."

"Though maybe not again for a little while, if possible," Ryan added, tapping the door frame.

"Agreed," they said without hesitation.

Javi snorted. "Castle, you coming?"

Rick shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm gonna start off slow. Stick around here for the day."

"All right. In that case, we'll be back."

Beckett nodded, reaching for another file. No doubt preparing to dive into her work for the day. "Good. Let us know if we can do anything on this end."

"We will."

They stepped out of the office just as three more people appeared in the doorway, ready to talk to the captain.

* * *

"So they look good. Beckett and Castle," Ryan started, closing his door behind him and joining his partner on the other side of the car.

"Yeah, they did. Gotta admit, though, I wasn't expecting that."

Ryan huffed a laugh as they jogged across the street to the first store on their list. They had their work cut out for them; there weren't many sporting goods stores near Andrew Sutton's apartment, but there were a few specialty shops and thrift stores.

"What were you expecting?"

"I dunno, more like they were this summer?"

Kevin lifted a shoulder. "They had more time to recover. Spending all day at the beach probably helped."

Espo nodded in concession. "Yeah. I'm glad, though. Getting back to normal will be good. And not just 'cause I want to have a life again."

He snorted. "You make it sound like you had a life to begin with."

"Shuddup."

Kevin grinned, holding the door for his partner.

* * *

Getting ready for work that morning had felt like deja vu. From the way they woke up, curled on their sides, her face smashed against the wall of Rick's back, to her husband slipping out of their room to surprise her with breakfast - actual food this time, no whipped cream-covered jewelry - to the nervous roll of her stomach, it had felt like her first day all over again. But instead of her phone ringing with bad news, pulling her away from the warmth of their home, she had been able to smile at Castle and tease him about the time he needed to primp making them late.

And then there had been the reception at work. The outpouring of well-wishes, the handshakes and hugs for both of them. By the time they had reached Ryan and Espo, she had been overwhelmed.

Now, two hours after they arrived, she finally felt like she was back on an even keel. She had sent the guys out to canvas, she had fielded questions from two of her other teams, she had even spoken to 1PP. She was in charge again. Home.

Even more so with Castle occupying one of the chairs across from hers.

"How does it feel?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes lifted from the preliminary report she was slogging through.

"Being back."

"It's good," she answered. "Different, but good. I'm ready for a break from some of this paperwork, though."

Castle checked his watch. "Well, Captain, might I take you to lunch to give you the chance to stretch your legs?"

Her stomach growled. That sounded amazing; she was starving for some reason.

"Yeah, let's do that." She stood, checking her phone to make sure she wouldn't be missing anything for the next hour or so. "I seem to remember you promising me Remy's anyway."

Her husband grinned, offering her his arm. "Remy's it is."

Beckett nodded to LT on their way through the bullpen. "Lunch break. We'll be back in about an hour. I have my phone if Ryan and Esposito get back before then."

"I'll let them know."

"Thanks."

"And we'll bring you back a shake," Castle added, twisting to slap hands with the other man.

"You're gonna have to bring enough to share with the rest of the class, Castle," she teased when they stepped onto the elevator, nudging his shoulder gently. "Otherwise I might have a revolt on my hands."

Rick chuckled. "I think I can manage that."

He would, too. She already knew he would ask their waitress if it would be possible to get a couple dozen milkshakes made and find some way for the two of them to cart them back to the precinct.

"It would be a nice thank-you," he continued, swiping his thumb over her knuckles, "for everything everyone has done."

Kate hummed her agreement, nudging her cheek against his shoulder just as the elevator doors slid open once more.

"Probably better to just get a variety of flavors, instead of trying to remember what everybody likes. I don't even know what everybody likes, do you?"

"No, Castle, 'what's your favorite flavor shake from Remy's?' isn't on everyone's hiring paperwork."

Her husband laughed. "Maybe it should be, though? Think of how many oddballs you could weed out if you asked. Especially those who dip their fries in the strawberry ones."

The light slap she landed against his chest only made him laugh harder.

"Just for that, I'm dipping my fries in _your_ milkshake."

Castle's eyebrows wiggled in response.

Unlike the other day, she was ravenous as soon as they stepped into the restaurant. Her burger was gone within minutes, and the fries on her plate disappeared soon after that. More than once, she caught Castle watching her, unable to disguise his smile.

"Stop mocking me," she ordered, taking a long pull of milkshake - vanilla; she hadn't been feeling like strawberry this time - and stealing one of his fries from his hand.

"Mocking you? I was thinking about kissing you." His smile deepened as she ducked her head and blushed.

He was always romantic, but in the last couple of months, he had turned on the charm, the real charm, even more. Kate couldn't exactly say she was complaining.

"Well, maybe you need to think less and do more, hmm?"

He stretched across the table, cupping her cheek in his broad palm before she even finished her sentence. Kate turned into his touch, eager for the press of his lips.

Her husband didn't disappoint, sliding his mouth over hers, his kiss easy, tender. Sweet from the chocolate shake, too.

"On second thought," she hummed, thumbing his jawline as they parted. "You do have good ideas once in a while. Keep them coming."

Rick lit up, coming back for another kiss. "If you insist."

Her phone chirped from the table, lighting up with a text from Espo. Apparently, they were on their way back to the precinct with a guest. "Ah, except the boys have something. So, later?"

Already he was reaching into his wallet for his credit card. "Absolutely. But um, we're still getting the milkshakes, right?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they met the boys on the street outside the precinct. Although their visitor wasn't in handcuffs, he didn't exactly look thrilled to be with them. The man's scowl didn't seem to faze the detectives, though. Instead, Esposito looked Castle's way, his eyebrows lifting toward his hairline.

"Light snack, Castle?"

"Ha ha. We already ate; these are for the rest of the team. But for that, maybe I'll give Beckett yours."

His wife rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I'm full. You guys have at it. Who's our guest today?"

Rick watched Ryan gesture for the guy to walk ahead. "This is Andrew Sutton's brother. He _graciously_ agreed to come talk with us about the last time he saw him. And why his DNA was on the sleeping bag his brother was found wrapped in."

Castle glanced in Beckett's direction, watching her stand taller, all business once more in spite of the box of milkshakes she carried.

"Ahh, well, Mr. Sutton-"

"Lewis. Corey. Andrew kept our dad's name in the divorce, I took my mom's."

Beckett nodded "Well, Mr. Lewis, I'm Captain Beckett. My detectives are going to take you upstairs so we can chat. Your cooperation is appreciated."

"Look, this is a big deal over nothing. All I did was buy a sleeping bag a few years ago."

"In that case, I'm sure we'll be able to get things worked out and have you on your way quickly."

Beckett nodded to Esposito. "Take him in. I'll be up in a moment."

"I can get these if you want to go with them," Castle murmured, watching the guys disappear through the precinct doors.

Kate shook her head. "No, let him sweat a bit, since I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but he also fits the description of the man seen arguing with Sutton in his apartment hallway."

Yeah, he had caught that. Interesting.

"But let's get inside anyway; these are getting heavy."

"And they're probably melting." Castle freed a hand, opening the door for her.

"Well," his wife drawled as they stepped inside. "We can't have that. After all, LT is so particular about his milkshakes."

Rick grinned, offering one of the treats to the desk sergeant as they passed.

Once they were back on the fourth floor, he made the rounds passing out milkshakes to everyone while Beckett checked in at her desk and prepared to observe Ryan and Espo's conversation with Mr. Lewis. He planned to join her once he finished his task.

A few minutes later, he stepped into Observation to find her perched on the table, listening.

"Look," Lewis started, "I bought the sleeping bag, took it on one camping trip to impress someone, and tossed it in my closet for the next six years."

"Then how do you explain it being in your brother's possession?"

The man's hands flattened on the table. "Because I gave it to him."

Castle glanced in Beckett's direction, watching her make a note on her legal pad.

"You gave it to him? What was the occasion?" Ryan asked, taking over for Esposito.

"He had a thing he wanted to do. Said the less I knew, the better."

"Sounds legit," Esposito mused. "A mystery activity, a convenient gift, and all of it in spite of the argument you were seen having with him just a little while ago. Totally tracks, doesn't it, Ryan?"

"Perfectly."

"I didn't kill him. I was away on business until late last night. You can talk to my boss, the hotel in Zurich, and the couple thousand people I presented to if you don't believe me."

Castle saw Beckett scrawl the words _Zurich conference_ on her paper before they both looked back toward interrogation.

"We'll have to check into that. In the meantime, why don't you tell us what your argument was about."

Corey Lewis sighed. "Andy and I have - had - our differences. He had it rough as a kid, and I always felt bad because by comparison I was treated like the golden child. So I took care of him, paid his bills, helped him find stuff he could do to make money when I couldn't pay, yadda yadda."

That explained the lack of work information and the cash flow.

"And the argument? Let me guess? You got tired of being his babysitter and financier, and told him to shape up or -"

Lewis shook his head. "I mean, yeah, I was tired of it. I didn't sign up to be his keeper for the rest of our lives just because his dad was a dick to him when we were ten and our mom did nothing about it. But we weren't arguing because I was cutting him off."

"So what were you arguing about?"

The younger man sighed. "He called me up, said he'd met this _great_ group of people. They live off the grid, camp, et cetera. He needed stuff, and I said fine, 'cause I had the bag and I wasn't doing anything with it. So I brought it over, asked if he was sure, all that."

"Somehow that doesn't sound like it's enough to warrant 'don't be an idiot, you're going to regret this,' which is what you said, is it not?"

Lewis nodded. "That's what I said, yeah."

"So we have some gaps here," Ryan prompted, tapping the tabletop.

"Okay look. Basically, I thought the group was bad news. They like making trouble, small stuff, petty stuff, but from what he told me, they were escalating. I told him if he got involved with them, he'd be lumped into their mess. Which is an idiotic thing to do if you're not really feeling like going to jail."

"What are they into?"

"Nothing terrible, they're not a cult or something, but Andy looked at things through rose colored glasses. He had friends to hang out with, and that's what he cared about."

"Where can we find this group?"

Corey shrugged. "Beats me. Andy said they moved around a lot. It was part of the appeal - a new place to live every day. That sort of thing. Never mind that it's trespassing and dangerous in this city. And if you found Andy in his sleeping bag, he was probably with them when he died. So that means I was right about them."

The detectives nodded, sharing a look. "They got a name? The group."

"Like the Mickey Mouse Club? No. He just called them 'the group,' or his friends."

"And you have no idea where they could be?"

"A park, a playground, somewhere they think is edgy to be seen sleeping?"

Ryan and Esposito nodded once more, standing as a unit and moving to the door. Beckett stood as well, readying her notes.

The boys slipped into Observation a moment later, asking, "What do you think, boss?"

"Have you heard anything about this group he was talking about?"

"Nothing's come across our desks, but we haven't exactly kept our ears to the ground for something like this."

Beckett nodded, glancing down at her notes. "In that case, call a few of the precincts near Andrew's apartment and see what they can tell you. And get Corey's boss's information to check his alibi. Make sure he didn't skip the last day of that conference, and then cut him loose."

"On it."

"Thanks. I'm going to head back to my desk, but keep me in the loop."

The boys nodded easily, slipping into the bullpen. "Will do."

"Don't forget your milkshakes," Castle added, following them out. "I put them in the fridge."

Ryan grinned, slapping his shoulder. "Thanks, Castle."

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "Thanks for that. Did you happen to bring some onion rings?"

"Dude," Rick feigned offense. "But yeah, actually. They're in there. I stole a couple when Beckett wasn't looking."

His wife snorted. "I have a functioning nose, Castle. Believe me, I noticed," she said, glancing over her shoulder and wrinkling said nose at him.

The boys laughed, veering toward the break room for the food.

"You could tell?" Castle asked, blowing into his hand to check his breath. Not the freshest, but it could've been worse.

"Mhmm."

"Sorry."

Beckett's smile widened. "That's okay. Come on, back to work for me."

He followed on sure feet, ready to reclaim his spot by her desk for the rest of the day.

* * *

Hours later, after three marathon conference calls, two leads that went nowhere for Ryan and Esposito's other open case, and turning Corey Lewis loose when his alibi checked out, they were able to head home. Although he'd intended to stop by the PI office before they returned to the loft, when they emerged from the precinct to the light of early evening and Kate's energy had seemed to fade, he had opted to put it off until tomorrow. Their first day back had been long enough.

"Subway or cab?" he asked, offering her his arm. Kate hummed, curling her fingers in the crook of his elbow.

"Neither. Let's walk."

"You sure?"

She nodded, squeezing his arm gently. "Yeah. If we get tired, we'll grab a cab the rest of the way. It's just too nice not to walk."

"Okay," he agreed, dusting a kiss to her cheek. "Just let me know if you want to stop."

They made it home a little while later, warm but revitalized from the walk. Kate's hand left his arm as they neared their front door, reaching into her pocket for her house keys.

"You know, I'm still pretty full from lunch," she started, giving the loft a cursory look before stepping inside and turning to him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "So if you're not dead set on dinner right now, we could get cleaned up and worry about food later?"

"Shower or bath?" he asked, the response automatic, watching delight wash over her face.

Kate stepped back, catching two of his fingers with hers. "Why not both?"

Rick grinned, allowing her to pull him toward their bedroom. "I can't argue with that."


	5. Chapter 5

As far as she was concerned, morning arrived far too quickly.

It hadn't even been a late night by their usual standards; after their shower and lazy soak in the tub, they had eaten a small dinner and settled in to watch a movie, one she had made it all of half an hour into before falling asleep on Castle's shoulder. Still, when her alarm sounded, she had to fight to shake off the blanket of sleep and roll her body out of bed to dress.

Castle noticed, of course, but other than pressing a kiss to her hair and splaying his palm against her hip as she stood at the bathroom vanity, he didn't say a word about her lack of energy.

"Coffee?" he rumbled, scraping a hand over his stubble. He was tired, too, but he seemed to be shaking it off more easily than she was.

"Mmm, please."

Kate watched as his eyes roved over the counter, landing briefly on her side, but she didn't have the chance to ask what had caught his attention before he retreated to give her some privacy.

"Coming right up," he added, flashing her a smile over his shoulder.

Her lips lifted in return. "Thanks, babe."

Turning back to the mirror, she started going about the rest of her morning routine, brushing her teeth (forcing herself to ignore the overpowering mint flavor) and smoothing her foundation over her face and neck. Her eyeliner and light eyeshadow came next, completing the transformation.

She just needed her coffee and then she would be ready to face the day.

"Here you are," Castle called, stepping back into their bathroom with their mugs.

Setting her eyeshadow palette on the counter, Kate turned to accept her coffee. She took a moment to breathe it in, allowing her eyes to flutter shut with the first sip.

"Good?" he asked, his voice warm with affection.

"Yeah."

"Good." His lips touched her forehead. "I'm gonna get ready and then we can go."

Her eyes slid open after a moment, finding him watching her from behind his mug.

"Perfect." Pulling his mug away, Kate lifted onto her toes to touch her mouth to his. "I'll check my messages while you do that."

Her husband smiled, slipping a hand along her side. "Kay. I'll be quick."

"Kay." She stole another kiss before slipping from the room and leaving him in peace.

* * *

"Morning, guys. Your text said you had something?" Beckett asked forty-five minutes later, stepping up to Esposito's desk.

"Uh, yeah. Got a call back from the 79th with some info on our camping group. They're going to fax it over as soon as they get the chance."

"Good." She nodded. "What else?"

"Waiting on a call back from Sing Sing about Walker. 'Cause I was thinking about it last night, and something just doesn't add up with his record."

Beckett nodded once more. "That's good thinking. Let me know what you find out in both cases."

"You got it," Esposito agreed, tilting his head to study her. After a second, he smirked. "Late start, boss?"

"What? Yeah, just adjusting to the schedule. Believe it or not, I got used to being able to sleep in every day."

Her detective chuckled. "Castle's influence, no doubt."

"What about me?" Rick asked, stepping close enough for his chest to bump her arm.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head in Espo's direction. "Just talking about getting back to our routines."

Castle nodded, looking thoughtful.

"And now I have to get back to my other routine: cleaning my inbox." Kate stepped away from the desk, giving Castle's blazer a gentle tug. He followed without protest, pocketing the phone in his hand. "How was your call?" she asked.

"Good. Everything's still on track for _High Heat_ next month, I just need to make a personal appearance at Black Pawn in the next few days."

The beginnings of excitement fluttered through her chest, but she tamped it down, tempered it. "Yeah? So, um, when do I get my copy?"

Her husband grinned, leaning back in his chair. "You'll just have to wait and see. You never know what might be waiting on your pillow one night."

"One night… like tonight?" Kate tugged her lip between her teeth.

"Shameless," Castle teased. "Maybe tomorrow night if I make a couple calls. I'll distract you from your sorrow tonight," he added on the heels of her huff.

"Yeah, you better."

He opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he would have said was lost underneath the trill of her office phone.

"Duty calls," she murmured, relaxing into her desk chair and lifting the receiver to her ear. "Beckett."

While he would never turn down a chance to be with his wife, Castle had to admit there wasn't much going on at the precinct.

"You know, if you're bored, you could run by the office while I'm stuck working on this spreadsheet," Beckett murmured, glancing over the top of her computer. "Unless you're really committed to beating that high score of yours."

"Did that already," he said, waggling his phone at her. "Beat yours, too."

She lifted a shoulder. "I'll get it back next time."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he mumbled, letting his lips turn up at the sound of her laughter.

"Uh huh, sure," she drawled, tapping a few keys before looking back at him. "You should go talk to Hayley; let her know what you've decided."

His head bobbed. "I know. You're sure you're okay with it?"

Kate smiled, reaching over to touch his hand. "You need to be happy, Castle. If you're happy with the decision, then I'm okay. If you're not, then maybe take some more time to think about it. You don't have to give up your PI business just to be here."

Castle licked his lips, considering her words. He had been going back and forth with the idea all summer, but in the last few days, he had made the decision to turn things over to Hayley full-time. Assuming she wanted it, of course.

"No, I know. And maybe I'll change my mind when I get there, but I think right now it's better if I focus on the books and on being here to run circles around Ryan and Esposito."

His wife laughed, curling her fingers around his. "Then go talk to Hayley about it so it doesn't keep you up at night."

"You're right. Okay, I'll go now. Then I can come back and find out if I'm right about this case." Rick got to his feet, quirking a grin down at her.

Beckett narrowed her eyes, holding fast to his hand to keep him from going anywhere. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Checking the park. It's large enough that the group would probably go back again."

Her eyebrows jumped. "Even if their buddy died there?"

Castle shrugged. "Out of sight, out of mind. Corey Lewis said they didn't exactly make smart decisions. Besides, if someone there killed him... "

"They wouldn't want to alter their habits, it would make them look guilty."

He grinned. "Exactly. Okay, text me a picture of the boys' faces when they realize I'm right."

Before she could protest, Rick swooped in, stealing a kiss from her mouth. "I'll be back."

It didn't take him long to get to the PI office, and it was actually a relief to find the waiting area empty. He wouldn't have time to second guess himself.

"Be with you in just a second."

"It's just me," he called, strolling through the room to greet his friend in the doorway to what used to be his office.

Hayley Shipton's head shot up, a smile spreading across her face. "Rick! Well, look at you. When did you get back?"

Pushing his hands into his pockets, he offered her a smile in return. "A few days ago. Beckett went back to work yesterday."

"That's fantastic. How is she?"

"She's good. We're both doing well. How's it going here? Have I missed anything juicy and fun?"

Hayley laughed, shaking her head. "Good. And no, nothing juicy. Just the usual background checks and cheating spouses I know you try so hard to avoid."

"I do not! I do plenty of work. Just _some_ cases I prefer to work on less than others."

His friend snorted, leaning against the desk. "So have you come to reclaim your office?"

"Actually, I want to talk to you about that. How do you feel about staying in charge a while longer?"

"How long is a while?" Hayley asked.

Rick lifted a shoulder. "How long do you want it to be?"

"Are you stepping down? Shouldn't you turn your business over to your daughter?"

"Alexis and I made a deal: she finishes school first, and if this is what she wants to do after that, then we'll talk."

"But in the meantime, you're asking me to run everything."

"If you want to. You're good - better than me - and it's a step toward putting down the roots you were talking about a while ago. Plus, it has all the coolest toys. Most of which I'll leave for you to play with."

Hayley let out a quiet chuckle, lowering her chin. "That's a big offer."

"After everything you've done for me, the way you watched out for Alexis and my mother? It's the least I can do."

Her cheeks darkened at the praise. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"Well, okay then." Her hand shot out, ready to seal the bargain. "You have a deal, Rick."

He took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Fantastic. We can figure out paperwork whenever, though I think Alexis said she took care of that while I was in the hospital."

"She did. Most of it, at least."

"Good. Smart girl."

Hayley smiled once more. "Very smart."

Castle hummed, looking around. He did love this place, but it didn't hold the same pull for him, not the way the precinct did.

"You should probably get back," his companion said, lifting her chin toward the door.

"Probably."

"Of course, if you need some help with your case, you're welcome to stay. For a small fee," she added, her grin sly.

"Funny. But I'll have you know that _I_ am just waiting to hear how I solved Beckett's first case back."

"Cocky."

His chest puffed. "Not cocky if you back it up. So I should…"

She waved him off. "Go on. Just don't be a stranger."

"I won't," Rick promised.

Hayley nodded, tapping her knuckles against the desk. "Good. But oh, before you go," she leaped to her feet, glancing around, "I can redecorate, right?"

"Hey now, don't push your luck," he answered, giving a playful quirk of his eyebrow as he walked out.

* * *

He wasn't quite sure what made him stop on his way back to the precinct, but just a few minutes after leaving the P.I. office, he was stepping into a drug store and making his way up and down the aisles. His fingers closed around a bag of M&Ms for Kate's desk, and after a second of thought, he scooped up a bag of gummi bears as well. After all, the sugar might give his wife a little bit of a boost. She looked like she was running on empty today.

It wasn't the first time, though. She'd been off for the last few days, he'd noticed, the energy she had gained during their recovery seeming to fade. They'd both been given a clean bill of health at their last check-up, but a small part of him couldn't shake the idea there might be more to it than just adjusting to being back.

"Hey, buddy, you gonna keep staring at those or are you gonna move and let me get what I need to get? Some of us have places to be."

Rick jolted, twisting to face the source of the taunt. "Ah, sorry. Have at it." He stepped away from the shelf, only to realize exactly how far back into the store he had wandered. And which display he had just blocked.

Could it be-?

The fatigue, the change in her appetite… it would fit. It would be a long shot, but it would fit.

"Yeah, that's not creepy at all," the woman continued, snatching a box from the display and holding it close to her chest. "Get a life, pal."

"Hey, I have a -"

"Whatever," she muttered, stalking off. "Freak."

"Am not," Rick retorted, grabbing his phone as it buzzed in his pocket.

 _Bro, you gotta see this. Get to the park. West side._

Oh, he had _so_ been right.

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he regarded the display. Maybe he would be right again.

He grabbed a box, dropping it on top of the candy and making his way to the checkout.

* * *

"He's going to gloat. You know that, right?"

Ryan glanced at his partner before looking back at the spectacle in front of them.

"It's Castle. Of course he's going to gloat."

"Well, he was kind of right," Beckett reminded them, stepping beside Esposito. She had been coordinating with park police to keep people back and make it easier for them to get into the trees. "He did send us back here when we were looking for crime scenes elsewhere."

Esposito narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't take his side."

Beckett grinned, clasping her hands in front of her and glancing up at the branches above. "How are you doing up there, Jesse?" she called.

Their new suspect's expletive-filled reply made them laugh.

"Not our fault you're stuck up there," Esposito said. "So tell us, whose bright idea was it to camp in the trees, anyway? What happens if you have to go in the middle of the night?"

"Water bottles, bro," Ryan murmured, smothering a laugh at the look of horror that crossed his partner's face.

"You mean like the one he dumped out to stop us as he was trying to get away?"

"Uh huh."

Esposito groaned. "That's nasty."

"Pretty sure that one was just water, though. So your shoes are still safe."

"Hey, isn't it cruel and unusual punishment to leave me up here?" Jesse called. "You can't question me like this, I know my rights."

The cops looked up once more, finding their guy glaring their way. With him upside down, strapped to a branch, it didn't quite have the same effect as it might have another time.

"We're waiting for the fire department, pal. They've had a run on retrieving cats from trees this morning."

Beckett laughed behind her hand, shaking her head. "We'll get you down as soon as we can. However, if you'd like to take your mind off of things, you could tell us about Andrew Sutton."

"Don't know him."

Ryan shook his head. "That's funny, because the three people we saw packing their stuff while you were still waking up said you were buds; that you had brought him into the circle. So what happened, Jesse?"

"Alright, get me down and I'll tell you. Deal? I can't feel my brain."

"We're gonna get you down. Relax." Beckett waved over a trio of firefighters, lifting her eyebrows as her husband came jogging up on their heels. Her eyes cut to the plastic bag in his hand.

"Snacks," he explained, breathing a little heavily. "Candy for your desk, the jerky the boys like."

Ryan grinned. "You shouldn't have, Castle."

"Yeah, you should be buying me the treats, 'cause I was right. Wasn't I right?"

"Yes, fine," Ryan conceded. "You were right. We found our crime scene just over there."

"As I said you would."

The detectives rolled their eyes before Ryan continued, "It had been overlooked because the rest of Andrew's camping equipment looked just like someone's squat, but upon closer inspection, we saw broken branches and signs of the body being dragged. So we decided to look around. Which is how we found our camping group here."

"And Batman, apparently."

"I heard that."

Castle snickered, lifting his eyes toward the tree.

Ryan did the same. "Yeah, apparently they don't just camp on the ground, they sleep in the trees. Meet Jesse Morgan. You see, he's in this predicament because when he spotted us, instead of calmly loosening his harness and coming down, he panicked, scrambled, and fell over. Lucky for him, he was still strapped in, because we would be having a different chat right now if he hadn't been."

Castle nodded, looking thoughtful. "Well, good of him to hang around."

"Castle," Beckett chided.

He blinked, innocent. "What?"

"Anyway, he's agreed to talk to us once he's back on terra firma."

"Good of him," Castle said, shifting his weight as the four of them watched the firefighters loosen Jesse Morgan's harness and brought him down from the tree.

They gave the man a moment to collect himself, to let the blood return to the rest of his body before stepping closer.

Morgan swiped at his red face, pushing stringy blond hair off his forehead. "I didn't do anything."

"After that display, you expect us to believe that?" Ryan prompted, tilting his head. "You didn't do anything, but you tried to run? Come on, Jesse, be straight with us. Cause if you think you'll be able to pretend this never happened, you're fooling yourself."

Esposito jumped in. "Did he piss you off? Did he tell somebody he shouldn't have about your excursions?"

Jesse shook his head, averting his eyes.

"We talked to his brother, man," Espo continued. "He said Andy went to bat for you, said you guys were legit. He said you were his friends."

"We are. Were. We were."

"Prove it," Ryan challenged.

Jesse sucked a deep breath into his lungs. "It was an accident."

"What happened, Jesse?" Beckett asked, her voice quiet, but firm. "Start from the beginning."

"It was stupid. All of it was stupid. I was messed up, not thinking clearly at all. We'd been giving each other hell all night, like normal. It's what we did."

"But you got mad, and you -"

"No. No. I wasn't mad. It was normal for us. But he started to get up to go take a leak and I thought I'd mess with him. So I knocked him, just screwing around you know? Just knocked his knee like this." He demonstrated on himself, pushing one knee into the other. "But he fell. He lost his balance and just fell. Hit his head on the branch below us. He was gone before I got to the ground."

Esposito glanced over at Beckett, taking point again. "Why didn't you call the cops? Why drag the body and leave him in his sleeping bag in the bushes?"

"I don't - I freaked out. I've already been to prison a couple times, and I was messed up, I panicked, I was the only one awake… so I just did it and told the others that he'd bailed." He deflated. "I didn't mean to kill him."

"I believe you," Beckett said, nodding to Ryan. He waited a beat before slipping the cuffs from his belt. "But you did."

"Jesse Morgan, you're under arrest for the murder of Andrew Sutton," Ryan started, clasping the other man's hands behind his back and securing the metal around his wrists.

* * *

"Beckett? Can we talk?"

Kate looked up from her book, furrowing her brow. She had been reading since they'd gotten home from the precinct, letting the words on the page and the quiet tap of his fingers on his keyboard lull her into tranquility. "Since when do you ever ask my permission to talk?"

"Good point," Castle conceded, lowering himself onto the seat beside her on the couch. "I just want to make sure that you're okay. You haven't exactly seemed like yourself the past couple of days."

"I don't feel any different than usual," she replied, gingerly folding the edge of her page down and shutting the novel. "Just a little tired. It's no big deal."

"Just a little tired," Castle echoed. He was choosing his words carefully, deliberately, a fact made even more obvious by his insistence on repeatedly scratching his ear. And, for whatever reason, it was annoying the hell out of her. If anyone was acting weird, it was him.

"Castle," she snapped, stopping him mid-scratch. "Would you stop that and just tell me what's going on?"

To her complete exasperation, he grinned, happiness radiating from ear to ear. He was freaking _beaming_.

"You just snapped at me," he said, that silly grin still on his face. "That's… I think I know what might be going on."

"Castle, there's nothing going on…"

"Just humor me, honey," he interrupted, reaching out to rest his hand atop hers. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but honestly, nothing about our lives has been normal lately."

She snorted. "You have me there. So what's this theory?"

Kate watched him lean over and pull a bag off the floor. The same drug store bag she'd seen just hours earlier, when he'd surprised her with treats for her desk.

"More candy, Rick?" she teased, nudging his thigh with her toe. "I hate to break it to you, but a sugar high probably isn't the answer in this case."

"Ah, no. Not candy. I think you should take this."

He held out a small cardboard box to her, his eyes hopeful.

"I- Castle, I'm not pregnant."

"Are you sure? We have been practicing quite a bit, after all." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Because it's too soon? The doctor said it could take-"

"I know what the doctor said, but think about it? You've been so tired, and you looked at little bit green at your favorite Chinese place the other day? And you just snapped at me for no reason, too."

"I snapped at you because you're annoying me," she retorted, lifting an eyebrow.

"Kate," he cajoled, refusing to allow her to change the subject. "What could it hurt?"

Kate pulled her lip between her teeth, looking between her husband's face and the EPT box in his hand. After a moment, she exhaled. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

Truthfully, she didn't want to get her own hopes up either.

Castle shook his head, abandoning the box on her thigh to take her hand. "Hey, hey. There are no expectations here. No pressure. If you're not, you're not, and that's okay. But wouldn't you rather know one way or another?"

His fingers caressed her knuckles, drawing soothing circles on her skin, sending her heart fluttering in her chest.

He was right. No matter how remote the possibility, she needed to know.

"Okay," she agreed, releasing a breath. "Okay, I'll take the test."

Castle beamed, tugging on her hand as he got to his feet. "Great! Come on, let's do it now, before my mother and Alexis come over. Alexis said they left late, but they're on their way and they're stopping to pick up dinner."

"Let's?" Kate replied, bemused. "Castle, there is a distinct lack of teamwork necessary in taking a pregnancy test."

"Well yes, but I can wait for you in the bedroom." He thumbed her knuckles again, giving her a moment to consider his proposal.

"Oh, all right. Come on." She let him haul her from the couch, managing to catch the test box before it tumbled to the ground.

"Excellent reflexes," Castle praised, dodging her swatting hand and leading her to their bedroom. "Okay, I'll just wait here."

"Uh huh," she agreed, fighting the nervous rolling in her stomach and pointing him toward the bed. "I'll be back."

Clutching the box to her chest, Kate padded across the bedroom and stepped into the bathroom.

When she walked back into the bedroom a minute later, Castle was pacing back and forth across the floor. The moment he spotted her, he began bouncing on his toes, his hands clasped together in anticipation.

"Well?" he asked, hurrying toward her. "What does it say?"

"Nothing yet," Kate answered, watching as his face fell. "It takes a minute or so for the results to register, so I figured we could watch it change together."

"Oh, goody." Castle perched on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside him for her to sit. "Come on. This will be just like watching paint dry. But better."

"Hey now, this was your idea," she reminded him, giving him a playful jab in the ribs as she settled onto the bed beside him.

"Touché," he murmured, tugging her hand, and the test, between them.

Together, they watched as the test window began to change from a blank space to two pink lines, faint at first, but growing stronger and darker with every passing second.

Kate stared at the test, slack-jawed. "I… is this…"

Castle's hand slipped into her hair, turning her face toward his, his mouth seeking hers. She canted into him, letting his joy wrap around her, letting her astonishment blossom into anticipation.

"A baby, Kate," he breathed, taking another kiss from her as her smile widened. "We're having a baby."

"A bab- oh. We're, wow."

Her husband laughed, brushing his thumb over the curve of her jaw. "Yeah," he agreed, feathering his lips over hers again. "Wow."

"You were there, weren't you?" she blurted, pulling away to stare at the test once again.

"When we made a baby? Yes, I remember being there for that."

Beckett shook her head, clearing her throat quickly. "I'm quite certain of where you were for that. Just… the doctor said it wouldn't happen this fast. That it would take time for-"

Castle's hand covered hers, loosening her death grip on the plastic stick. "The doctor did say that, but you know what she didn't take into account?"

"What?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile. "Us. The way no matter how bad it gets, how dire it seems, we always manage to beat the odds. Just like all the great love stories."

"We do, don't we?" she hummed, touching her fingertips to his chin.

His head bowed, forehead touching hers. "And we always will."

* * *

 _Episode beta work by honeyandvodka and acertainzest_

 _Castle Season 9 is produced by Team Planet and the writing team of Castle Season 9_ _. Executive Producer is_ _encantadaa._

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